(23 Feb 2016, 5:59 pm)randomdude wrote Aah, so we're going London style, haha.
Always preferred the regional accents for Next Stop Announcements myself, but Emma's voice is quite nice.
It's so much easier to maintain by having one single voice for everything, building up a library of audio files for stops around the region.
(23 Feb 2016, 6:14 pm)Michael wrote I'll have to have a ride on the X1 next week to try them out.... are they still including the BuzzFare ticketing zones on the announcements? so when it starts and ends?
Yes, the 'line plan' style remains exactly the same. Some of the stop names have been changed slightly and the voice is different, but other than that, everything remains the same.
UK Charity for the blind and partially sighted, Guide Dogs, have also requested that we periodically state the route number and destination of the bus too, which will reassure blind and partially sighted passengers that they are on the correct bus. "This is the Red Arrows X1 service to Newcastle" and similar will periodically precede the actual next stop announcement.
We're also going to try out new "approaching" messages on express services, such as the Castles Express X21. This will give passengers enough time to gather their belongings before reaching the stop and alighting.